Transcriptional precision during development : the problematic case of nested genes – TransDev

During development, cell fate specification relies on transcriptional regulation. For development to be robust, the transcription of developmental genes has to be very precise. However, several genomic topologies can be a challenge for transcriptional precision, such as the opposite nested configuration, where a gene is located in an intron of a host gene in opposite direction. Here we will characterize how this specific gene configuration affects the variability and accuracy of gene expression during development, using the C. elegans embryo, which allows precise quantification of gene expression at single cell resolution. We will use a combination of CRISPR genome engineering, single mRNA molecule detection, live transcription imaging, and single cell RNA-seq data analysis. As this intriguing gene topology is frequent in animals, including human, and involves developmental genes, our study should have a broad impact on the understanding of transcriptional precision during development.